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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports 23-year-old Noah Kittle, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday, on an OWI charge. Kittle was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000. He posted bond and was released.
(State News) – A lawsuit alleges that a company operating an alternative fuels plant in the eastern Iowa town of Marengo, lied to and may have bribed, public officials before a massive explosion injured workers there in 2022. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Tali Washburn, a Pottawattamie County woman who worked for the C6-Zero company as its government relations director, is now suing the company, six of its affiliates and several company officials in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
In December 2022, C6-Zero’s roof-shingle recycling plant in Marengo was rocked by a massive explosion that injured more than a dozen people and resulted in a partial evacuation of the town.
As part of her lawsuit, Washburn alleges that long before the explosion, company officials told her they had purchased a house from the Marengo city official tasked with approving the plant’s emergency safety plan. The purchase was then put in someone else’s name to obscure C6-Zero’s involvement, the lawsuit claims.
In 2023, a judge ordered the company to pay a $95,700 fine for workplace safety violations that contributed to the explosion. The state has since sued the company for $1.5 million in expenses caused by the cleanup of contaminated water at the Marengo site. A trial in that case is scheduled for later this year.
According to Washburn’s lawsuit, she was hired by C6-Zero in March 2020. In mid-2021, she claims, she “blew the whistle” on corporate wrongdoing by contacting the company’s CEO, general counsel and chief operating officer. The lawsuit alleges she then hired a former federal prosecutor as her own legal counsel and “confronted” the company about what she considered to be safety issues, loan falsification, tax issues and “interference” with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. In January 2022, she claims, the company placed her on administrative leave and threatened her with a lawsuit for defamation. In July 2022, she alleges, she was fired and three months later disclosed her concerns to an unspecified “Iowa government official.”
Her lawsuit seeks damages for breach of contract, unpaid wages, fraudulent misrepresentation and civil conspiracy. C6-Zero and company officials named in have yet to file a response to the allegations.
The problems began, Washburn alleges, shortly after she was hired to help C6-Zero clear regulatory hurdles in developing recycling technology that would turn asphalt into oil. According to the lawsuit, C6-Zero’s biggest problem at that time was that it was unable to use patented technology due to various state agencies classifying the business as a recycler, a stockpiler of solid waste and a potential generator of hazardous waste. Washburn alleges she “developed a pathway” for C6-Zero to successfully obtain a “comfort letter” from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Midwest regional office to launch its business in Iowa. That letter was intended to “validate” the company’s commitment to operate, within the EPA’s own framework, as a manufacturer and not a generator of hazardous waste.
Shortly thereafter, the lawsuit claims, company officials directed Washburn to send a grant application to the state seeking a forgivable multimillion-dollar loan. State officials denied the grant request, allegedly citing issues with the company’s background. Months later, the lawsuit claims, company officials told Washburn they had “embellished” the grant application in part by stating they would hire 260 employees and have a total annual payroll of $3.7 million.
In addition, the lawsuit states, Chief Operating Officer Christopher Koehn “specifically and purposefully lied on the application” by listing a particular individual with a good reputation as C6-Zero’s chief technology officer. Koehn confessed to Washburn that the man never had any official role in the company and his name was included merely to bolster the company’s bid for the forgivable loan, the lawsuit alleges.
OMAHA, Neb. [KETV) – Officials in Douglas County, Nebraska, late Monday night, alerted Pottawattamie County emergency personnel, about calls they had about someone jumping into the Missouri River. Word of the incident began coming in a little before midnight. A water rescue team and first responders were able to locate the individual and bring them ashore. Medics took the unidentified person to the hospital, where they were said to be in serious condition.
Additional information is currently not available.
(Radio Iowa) – Severe storms moved across Iowa late Monday afternoon and early evening, bringing large hail, high winds and at least one tornado.
The first warning in western Iowa was for the Crawford and Carroll County areas, at around 3:40-p.m. According to the National Weather Services, tennis ball-size hail was reported by the public, in Vail. Hail the size of eggs fell in Westside, quarter-size hail was reported in Arcadia, and winds gusting to near 65-miles per hour were reported near Manning. Winds gusting to near 55-mph were noted northwest of Adel.
The New Vienna/Luxemburg Fire Department reported a wind gust of 102 miles an hour, with several reports of damage to structures, trees and vehicles. Delaware County Emergency Management Coordinator Mandy Bieber says the winds were exceptional. “Significant wind speeds in the 80 mile an hour range,” Bieber says, “and it seems like it did significantly increase as it moved across the county in Dubuque County, maybe took a little harder hit than what we did.”
Bieber says there are no reports of anyone hurt, but there are multiple reports of damage. “The Earlville area, we’re seeing some pictures of trees that have been completely blown over, that are larger, and a lot of vinyl fencing and lighter items receiving some damage as well,” Bieber says. “We did have one report of a topper ripped off of a truck.”
Tornado warnings were issued in portions of Buchanan, Delaware, Linn, Polk, Jones and Dubuque counties, as several funnel clouds were spotted. Flash flooding was reported, with Highway 61 covered with water near Zwingle and flooded roads west of New Vienna. “Lines down in several different areas, the fire departments and public works guys are all out taking care of that,” Bieber says. “Obviously, with the lines being down, we are seeing some power outages.”
Near Backbone State Park (Photo by Dan Murhpy, Delaware County. via
MidAmerican Energy reported 40-thousand customers without power at 11 P-M, mostly in the Des Moines, Iowa City and Davenport areas. Meteorologist Dylan Dodson, at the National Weather Service in Johnston, says one twister was spotted. Dodson says, “We had some severe storms that caused some extensive tree damage and some downed power lines through the Des Moines metro, with one tornado confirmed in Polk County.” That tornado was reported near Windsor Heights and Grimes. The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency reported a funnel cloud was observed a little after 6-p.m., Monday, about six-miles southwest of Grant.
On the plus side, Dodson says the storm broke the extreme heat wave, and high temperatures through the rest of the week should be in the 70’s and 80’s.
(Reporting by Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester and Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird will deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention later today (Tuesday). “I’m speaking about making America safe again,” Bird says, “a speech supporting President Trump and his priorities of to keep our communities safe and how much he appreciates our law enforcement.” Bird was the only statewide elected official to endorse Trump before the Iowa Caucuses. She declines to speculate on whether she’d accept a role in Trump’s Administration next year if he wins in November.
“Biden’s been a disaster and we all remember how much better we were when Trump was president,” Bird says. “Just glad to be supporting his campaign and be helping him all the way up through the Caucuses until today.” On the convention’s first day, Bird was tapped to oversee the process of nominating J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate. Bird was standing in a holding area just behind the convention stage when she spoke with Radio Iowa Monday afternoon.
“The mood here in Milwaukee is so positive and everybody’s so excited,” Bird said. Bird, a Guthrie County native, is an attorney who served as Congressman Steve King’s chief of staff and legal counsel for Governor Terry Branstad. She ran unsuccessfully for Iowa attorney general in 2010, finishing 11 points behind long-time Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. She defeated Miller in 2022 by about 20-thousand votes.
KNOXVILLE, Iowa — The Iowa State Patrol reports one person died and another was injured, Monday afternoon, when a minivan crashed through an exterior wall of a Knoxville health care facility, striking a resident. The accident happened around 3:20 p.m. Monday at the Accura HealthCare facility when a 2014 Chrysler Town & Country van traveled through a parking lot, went out of control and accelerated through the parking lot before crashing into a wall and a resident’s room. The resident was pinned in her room and required extraction.
The resident, 70-year-old Rebecca Richardson, of Knoxville, was pronounced dead at the Knoxville hospital. The driver of the van, 86-year-old Doris McCombs, of Knoxville, was transported by air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital. The incident remains under investigation.
Due to damage to the building and “in an abundance of caution,” first responders ordered the facility to be evacuated until the building can be evaluated, Accura HealthCare said in a press release. By 9 p.m., repairs were made to the building and it was deemed safe for residents to return.
Accura HealthCare of Knoxville has 51 residents. It primarily houses seniors needing long-term care.
(Radio Iowa) – A retired U.S. Air Force Special Operations member who used to live in Le Mars was sitting just a few feet away from former President Donald Trump during the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania Saturday.
Jim Truemper had seats in the bleachers slightly to the left of Trump. “It happened quick pretty quick i’ll tell you that. I was standing up everybody was cheering, because when Trump first came up on stage he looked up to us in the bleachers and we’re all going crazy,” Truemper says. “And he was just only you know, four or five maybe six minutes into his spiel whenever the first shots rang out.”
He describes how things unfolded from his vantage point. “I heard three shots. The third shot is when he grabbed his ear and he dove to the floor. He took that third hit in his ear, and he dove to the floor and then Secret Service was immediately on him. They were moving into first down to the first shot. And then there were three more rapid shots. And it was over,” he says. Truemper was not far away from the retired Pennsylvania firefighter who was killed in the attack.
“The poor fireman was about 20 feet to my right guy that was that was killed right in front of his family, there were heroic efforts to try to save him, but he was already gone,” Truemper says. Truemper says there were some anxious moments after Trump went down on the stage. “For that 30 seconds we’re all terrified that oh my god, this is really, really bad. Because they’re not standing him up, you know maybe he was critically shot. Then they stood him up and he raised that fist, oh my god the crowd just lost it,” Truemper says.
Truemper says being a witness to the attempted assassination won’t deter him from attending future rallies. Truemper left Le Mars and returned to his hometown near Pittsburgh after retiring from the Air Force.
Connections Area Agency on Aging official have announced they are hosting two virtual Family Caregiver support groups in August. Connection’s Family Caregiver Specialist Danika Jarrett invites family caregivers to join the virtual support groups a safe place for family caregivers to discuss the challenges and rewards of caring for a loved one.
To register and receive the meeting link contact Danika Jarrett at: djarrett@connectionsaaa.org or call 800-432-9209 ext 8113. The support groups will take place August 15th at 10 am and August 20th at 2:30 pm and will last about an hour. 
For more information please contact, Danika Jarrett, Family Caregiver Specialist at Connections Area Agency on Aging at 800-432-9209, Ext. 8133 or djarrett@connectionsaaa.org
Connections Area Agency on Aging Family Caregiver Program supports people who care for their parents, spouses, or others aged 60+ by providing information, resources, and support and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren aged 55+ who support their grandchildren.
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Connections Area Agency is one of six Area Agencies on Aging in Iowa, and part of a nationwide network. With a mission of enhancing the quality of life for elders in 20 counties through education, planning and coordination of services, Connections Area Agency on Aging is the premier agency for assisting elders, caregivers, and their families to access the information and services needed for independence and life transitions. Offices are located in Council Bluffs, Creston and Sioux City. For more information, contact Connections AAA at 800-432-9209 or at www.connectionsaaa.org
(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa have announced that applications are now being accepted from organizations providing charitable services in seven counties: Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, and Shelby. Page and Crawford counties participate in proactive grantmaking during the fall, rather than accepting applications. There is more than $400,000 available across the seven listed counties in this grant cycle, and those interested in a breakdown of the funding can learn more at swiowafoundations.org.
Beginning July 15, application details, a fact sheet, and a link to the application form can be found on the website. Applications will only be accepted through the online system. Only organizations providing services in each county are eligible to apply. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support and be an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) public charity, a local municipality, or a fiscally sponsored project. 
The Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa aims to improve the quality of life in each county by supporting community needs in the areas of civic engagement, culture, health, education, and social services. The objective of the grant program is to fund projects that will have a lasting impact.
The grant funds are made possible by the generosity of local donors.
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